Every year the Centre of African Studies hosts an annual conference on key issues at the cutting edge of Africa-related research. These conferences bring together internationally renowned scholars and members of the African Studies community in the UK and abroad to present and discuss new directions in African Studies.

Our 2016 conference focuses on Decolonizing the Academy. It calls for a collective examination of how knowledge and power are defined, distributed, and denied through high education institutions in the UK, Africa, and globally.

For whom do we research Africa and for what purpose? How do our institutions – be they universities, professional networks, or publishing forums – reinforce unequal access to power, opportunities, and knowledge? What are our responsibilities as researchers, and also as teachers (or student-scholars), to decolonize our work on an individual level; and how do we do it? How do we connect critical theoretical debates around decolonization with applied best practices or new practices? What future for African Studies does this envisage? These questions are not new. Rather, they remain at the forefront of our academic and professional enterprise, posing questions for the very legitimacy of our diverse endeavours.

Visit https://decolonizingtheacademy.wordpress.com for full details on the conference and its themes.

The call for panel and paper proposals will be released 15 November 2015.

Title

Decolonizing the Academy :

Date and Time

21st Apr 2016 09:00 - 22nd Apr 2016 17:00

Location

University of Edinburgh

URL

http://www.cas.ed.ac.uk/events/annual_conference/decolonizing_the_academy/Decolonizing_the_Academy

Download the Programme (pdf)

‘Decolonizing the Academy’ is a convergence of critical and creative scholarship, theory, conversation, and empirical research committed to questioning and undoing the foundations of inequality in Africa and African Studies. Hosted by the University of Edinburgh Centre of African Studies and the Global Development Academy, this international conference calls for a collective examination of how knowledge and power are defined, distributed, and denied through the Academy, broadly defined.

Check out the conference website for more details: https://decolonizingtheacademy.wordpress.com 

• Where: The University of Edinburgh
• When: 21-22 April 2016
• REGISTER here. 
• Buy tickets for the legendary African Food Battle! Featuring music, storytelling, comedy, drumming, and a four-course meal from all corners of the continent. 21 April 7pm – tickets available here

Featuring

Roundtable: The State of African Studies in Europe with Dr Barbara Bompani (Edinburgh), Dr Akinyinka Akinyoade (Leiden), Prof. Ambreena Manji (Cardiff), Dr Clara Carvalho (CEI-IUL Lisbon), Dr Shose Kessi (Chair, Cape Town) - 21 April 13:15-14:30

Visual Ethnography Workshop with Dr Manuel Ramos - 21 April 17:30-18:30

Keynote Dialogue with Dr Sean Jacobs (The New School, and Founder of 'Africa Is A Country' blog) and Ms Zainab Usman (Oxford) - 22 April 12:45-13:45

Panels on Decolonizing...

• Pedagogies & Curriculum
• Research: Method, Voice, & Power
• African Studies
• The City
• The State
• Art & Media
• History
• Activism & the University